The inside track on Celtic's squad spirit and pressure cooker every three days

Mika Baur is discovering that life at Celtic rarely offers a moment to catch your breath. The expectations are relentless, the schedule unforgiving and the emotional swings can be considerable.

But if Thursday’s crucial 3-2 Europa League comeback victory over Besiktas demonstrated anything, it is that there remains plenty of belief within the Celtic dressing room. After a difficult period, Martin O’Neill’s side retuned to winning ways by recording their first three points of the competition’s league phase at the fourth attempt.

For German midfielder Baur, the result was particularly welcome after a bleak run of form. In a contest that demanded character as much as quality, Celtic found it through a blend of steely determination, attacking flair and the influence of their substitutes.

Mika Baur of Celtic passes the ball under pressure from Leandro Trossard of Besiktas | Getty Images

The 22-year-old believes the manner of the win over their Turkish opponents outlined Celtic’s ability to respond to adversity, although he recognises that life in Glasgow rarely offers time to dwell on either success or disappointment.

“The win was important after some tough weeks,” he declared. “But the belief and the way we work together as a team has always been good. There was never any problem with that because we always believed in ourselves. We showed how we can leave our hearts on the field and put in a shift. It was important to get those three points and we deserved it. Hopefully we can go forward with confidence from this game.”

Baur explains adaption to relentless Glasgow lifestyle

The response to successive Premiership setbacks against Dundee United and Falkirk was particularly important given the standards expected at Celtic Park. Baur has quickly learned there is little room for inconsistency at a club where winning is a must at all costs, irrespective of the opposition or competition.

“There is always pressure to win here, to win every three days,” Baur admitted. “That’s what we all want. In the last two games it wasn’t possible for us. We knew it wasn’t good enough but here we played well and deserved it.

“The fans helped a lot. You could feel the energy. It was not just us players on the field who deserved the win – it was also everyone around the stadium and they brought the energy as well. It’s an unbelievable feeling as a player to have everyone pushing you and being there for you. It gives you that last percentage of energy you need at the end.

“Playing in this unbelievable stadium in front of these fans, you feel the pressure with some of the games we have lost but I am getting used to it. You don’t get much time.”

A decisive factor in Celtic's comeback was the game-changing contribution of Camilo Duran and Callum Osmand. Introduced from the bench, both players injected fresh energy into Celtic’s attack, helping turn the game in their favour, with the Colombian scoring twice and Osmand providing a goal and an assist.

Baur believes their performances underlined the importance of squad depth and the collective responsibility required to deliver success.

“That’s what you want from the subs – to make an impact from the bench,” he explained. “It says a lot for Camilo to accept the situation of starting on the bench, but to come on and make such an impact, producing in the big moments to score those two goals to win us the game. Ossie as well, he came on with a goal and assist. It’s not just the goals and assists, Ossie won the ball as well and was working hard. I’m really glad for them.”

Get our daily football newsletter by clicking here